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war films
- Kveto from Prague
- Compulsive Reader
- Posts: 921
- Joined: September 2008
- Location: Prague, Bohemia
war films
im in a mood for war films at the moment, cant explain why. my tastes tend to run in the war is hell direction rather than the war is glorious direction. i figure ill list a few of my favourite war films and see if there are any good ones im missing. the stipulation is to be a war film it must be set in the 20th century.
lets see:
The classic "Full Metal Jacket". Im not sure if any film captures the dehumanizing effect of war like this one. and the ending scene with the soldiers singing the mickey mouse tune might be one of the most chilling ever.
"Catch-22" another great surreal war film. also a rare film for showing an inglorious side to WWII.
"Saving private ryan" a good film and everybody remembers the start. a great moral question as well. unfortunately the ending was a bit cheesy.
"La Pelle" (translated as "the Skin") a really good Italian movie about the occupation of Naples in WWII. It really shows the lengths that a "liberated" people have to go to just to survive. Its mostly in English as many of the characters are american g.i.s. And another horribly chilling ending.
"Apocalypse now redux" really enjoyed the extended version.
"the Quiet American" set during the french-indochina war, but explains the later war perfectly.
"Enemy at the gates" a look at Stalingrad during the war
and "Escape to Victory" just for the football and "MASH" for good fun.
any you like?
lets see:
The classic "Full Metal Jacket". Im not sure if any film captures the dehumanizing effect of war like this one. and the ending scene with the soldiers singing the mickey mouse tune might be one of the most chilling ever.
"Catch-22" another great surreal war film. also a rare film for showing an inglorious side to WWII.
"Saving private ryan" a good film and everybody remembers the start. a great moral question as well. unfortunately the ending was a bit cheesy.
"La Pelle" (translated as "the Skin") a really good Italian movie about the occupation of Naples in WWII. It really shows the lengths that a "liberated" people have to go to just to survive. Its mostly in English as many of the characters are american g.i.s. And another horribly chilling ending.
"Apocalypse now redux" really enjoyed the extended version.
"the Quiet American" set during the french-indochina war, but explains the later war perfectly.
"Enemy at the gates" a look at Stalingrad during the war
and "Escape to Victory" just for the football and "MASH" for good fun.
any you like?
- LoveHistory
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 3751
- Joined: September 2008
- Location: Wisconsin, USA
- Contact:
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- Reader
- Posts: 70
- Joined: November 2009
- Location: Florida
How About
Memphis Belle - WW2 from a B-17 Flying Fortress
Cross of Iron - anti-war film about German soldiers on the Russian front
Midway - the pivotal naval battle of WW2
The Battle of the Bulge - Henry Fonda & Robert Shaw were both outstanding in this film
Hell Is For Heroes - 2 reasons = a young Bob Newhart provides comic relief in an otherwise gritty film & Steve McQueen's performance
I can think of others, too.
Alvin
Cross of Iron - anti-war film about German soldiers on the Russian front
Midway - the pivotal naval battle of WW2
The Battle of the Bulge - Henry Fonda & Robert Shaw were both outstanding in this film
Hell Is For Heroes - 2 reasons = a young Bob Newhart provides comic relief in an otherwise gritty film & Steve McQueen's performance
I can think of others, too.
Alvin
- parthianbow
- Compulsive Reader
- Posts: 856
- Joined: April 2009
- Location: Nr. Bristol, SW England
- Contact:
I too love war films, Kveto.
Come and See - a truly chilling film about the German 'cleansing' of Byelorussia in WW2. One of the best five war films I've ever seen, but very disturbing. (Filmed in Russian.)
Days of Glory - a deeply moving and true account of the dreadful treatment meted out to French colonial troops who fought for their masters in WW2. (Filmed in French.) The shameful revelation that the French govt. had stopped paying pensions to all the veterans who lived in countries which became independent from France was reversed - 40 years after it had been stopped - when the French president saw this film.
Beneath Hill 60 - a fine Australian film (it's recent - 2010) about the Sappers who dug beneath German lines at the Messines Ridge to set the biggest bomb the world had ever seen.
Better than a film, because it's 10 episodes long - the amazing and truly outstanding Band of Brothers series, made by HBO, and about US paratroopers in WW2.
The Big Red One - classic war film from the 60s, about US infantry. Stars Lee Marvin as the hard-bitten NCO.
Come and See - a truly chilling film about the German 'cleansing' of Byelorussia in WW2. One of the best five war films I've ever seen, but very disturbing. (Filmed in Russian.)
Days of Glory - a deeply moving and true account of the dreadful treatment meted out to French colonial troops who fought for their masters in WW2. (Filmed in French.) The shameful revelation that the French govt. had stopped paying pensions to all the veterans who lived in countries which became independent from France was reversed - 40 years after it had been stopped - when the French president saw this film.
Beneath Hill 60 - a fine Australian film (it's recent - 2010) about the Sappers who dug beneath German lines at the Messines Ridge to set the biggest bomb the world had ever seen.
Better than a film, because it's 10 episodes long - the amazing and truly outstanding Band of Brothers series, made by HBO, and about US paratroopers in WW2.
The Big Red One - classic war film from the 60s, about US infantry. Stars Lee Marvin as the hard-bitten NCO.
Ben Kane
Bestselling author of Roman military fiction.
Spartacus - UK release 19 Jan. 2012. US release June 2012.
http://www.benkane.net
Twitter: @benkaneauthor
Bestselling author of Roman military fiction.
Spartacus - UK release 19 Jan. 2012. US release June 2012.
http://www.benkane.net
Twitter: @benkaneauthor
- Madeleine
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 5814
- Joined: August 2008
- Currently reading: "Black Run" by Antonio Manzini
- Preferred HF: Plantagenets, Victorian, crime, dual time-frame
- Location: Essex/London
I'm not into war films but wasn't "The Big Red One" made in the late 70s/early 80s - it's always stuck in my mind as Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill was in it post Star Wars, perhaps this was a remake of the 1960s version.
"The Quiet American" was excellent, if it's the Michael Caine version you're talking about, one of his best performances I think.
"The Quiet American" was excellent, if it's the Michael Caine version you're talking about, one of his best performances I think.
Last edited by Madeleine on Sun November 14th, 2010, 5:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Currently reading "Black Run" by Antonio Manzini